ms. norton: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five lem slative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 1734 and include extraneous remarks within the record. the chair: without objection. ms. norton: i rise in opposition to h.r. 1734, the civilian property realignment act. both democrats and republicans agree that we need a system to dispose of and consolidate excess federal property. i have worked diligently with the chairman for such a bill for most of this year. however, the bill before us does not refrequent the bipartisan compromise i agreed to. moreover, i have just learned that the president also opposes the bill and apparently it does not even reflect a compromise among republicans. i opposed the bill, this bill, in the transportation and infrastructure committee and it passed on a party line vote. the bill before us today is essentially the same bill that i opposed at the transportation and infrastructure committee markup. shortly after that markup, the overs

ms. norton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from the district of columbia is recognized for two minutes. ms. norton: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, washington is the headquarters of the congress. it is not the headquarters of federal employees. 85% of them live in our cities and towns and suburbs. let's all agree that deficit reduction is a priority. and it is appropriate to lead at the top. nor should federal employees be exempt from this leadership by example. but it does stop at the top not at the bottom of the federal work force. these employees live under often greatly differing standards of living depending on where they live in the country. it is up to us to lead by example not federal employees, although they should not be exempt from this leadership role. it is an unfair ruse to pair the most favored federal employees, members of congress, with the least favored, federal employees across the board. some come from -- some are paid a great deal, some are paid ve

ms. norton for five minutes. >> thank you. i'm not going to give you any law school hypotheticals or worse case examples even though i regard any prior profession, my real profession as a law in the university of law center, i still go to teach once a week, i look first to the written legal advice the president received from the office of legal council. i look there because the office of legal council is considered, i think by most of us to be the least political office in the justice department because the job of that office is to keep the president from getting in trouble. and if someone would put up some words that i asked this staff to get for me from his analysis. allowing the senate to prevent the president from exercising his authority under the recess appointments clause, by holding pro forma sessions would be inconsistent with both the purpose of the clause and the historical practical in analogous situations. this opinion appears to raise serious separation of powers questions. let me ask you since, it's constantly l

ms. norton: i rise to strike the last word, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. ms. norton: mr. speaker, we have here one for the books. the democrats offer a 100% private sector solution to the most costly health program affecting the congress -- a crisis affecting the congress, and republicans want to repeal it. this is going to go down in history. the obama administration is a victim of its own honesty. it took the class act into the health care bill knowing that we can't do without it. and then it looked carefully at the cost factors and it did the right thing. it informed the congress that it was suspending implementation of the class act. it certainly will not repeal it or ask for its repeal, nor should we. and here's why. the medicare crisis before us, as i speak, is dwarfed by the long-term health care crisis. we all know it because the class crisis, if you will, is already here. here's how. if a person must go into a nursing home, and those are the potential long-term people, americans, if such am

ms. norton: i want to thank the chairman of the full committee for his generosity. i want to thank my friends on both sides of the committee for their assistance with h.r. 3902, especially the chairman of the full committee, my good friend mr. issa. and the chair of the subcommittee, mr. garrity. they've worked closely with us on this bill. ial want to thank my good friends on our side, the ranking member of the full committee, mr. cummings and the ranking member of the subcommittee, mr. davis, for their considerable support and assistance and mr. chairman, like you, i will be brief, you and i are the only ones here who have a vote in committee on this matter. the district of columbia special election reform act is subject to legislation i introduced last congress which, with the help of the chairman, was passed without objection by the house committee on oversight and reform and with his help, quickly got to the full house for a vote. final enactment of the bill was prevented not by this house but by an anonymous hold in the senate which fortunately no longer allow

ms. norton: by unanimous consent. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, the party line from republican leaders is that republicans agree on a payroll tax cut holiday. they just need to find a way to pay for it. but republican members speak a different language. georgia republican paul broun told the press, quote, the payroll tax holiday is just a gimmick to get obama, re-elected. end quote. that will be news to the average american family who will see their taxes increase by $1,000 on march 1 without a table tax agreement. the press reports a serious republican split with only a 50-50 chance that republicans can get their members to agree on a payroll tax deal. line that 50-50 republican split up against their nearly unanimous opposition to having wealthy and corporate taxpayers contribute one dime to deficit reduction. i'll leave it to the republican leadership to reconcile these issues and their caucus. meanwhile, the clock ticks louder each day. republicans have 22 days to make up their minds on whether every worker who draws a payc

ms. norton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from the district of columbia is recognized for two minutes. ms. norton: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, washington is the headquarters of the congress. it is not the headquarters of federal employees. 85% of them live in our cities and towns and suburbs. let's all agree that deficit reduction is a priority. and it is appropriate to lead at the top. nor should federal employees be exempt from this leadership by example. but it does stop at the top not at the bottom of the federal work force. these employees live under often greatly differing standards of living depending on where they live in the country. it is up to us to lead by example not federal employees, although they should not be exempt from this leadership role. it is an unfair ruse to pair the most favored federal employees, members of congress, with the least favored, federal employees across the board. some come from -- some are paid a great deal, some are paid ve

ms. norton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. norton: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, this bill is a tragic exercise, it's a waste of time and here's why. this is probably the only chance for a jobs bill this year but it destroys almost 600,000 jobs. this bill is the only chance for every state to start on its back log of projects for roads and bridges and transit, but it has cuts for every state except for five states. this bill is the only opportunity for federal funding for mass transit across the country but the bill defunds the federal allocations for mass transit if funding that began with ronald reagan. this bill is the only major piece of federal legislation that has paid for itself with user fees but this bill uses federal employee pensions from hard-pressed, middle income workers to subsidize roads for almost 300 million americans. this bill was -- it was the only chance this year for a bipartisan bill based on the long history of bipartisan transportation and infrastructure bills but it is rife with p

ms. norton: i support the carnahan amendment and i want to indicate what i -- what the agreement was in the bill, we would have a bill that democrats and republicans would support. what we have here is a bill that are somehow that republicans are divided on and democrats are expected to carry over the finish line. if in fact this bill had come as a base bill, i think he would have democrats in larger numbers supporting this bill. whatever republicans wanted to do with the fact that the base bill did not always conform to exactly what they would have wanted would have been made up on my side. and i thank the gentleman for yielding. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. all time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from missouri. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. >> i ask that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee do now rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and

ms. norton, for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i don't know if conversations with the secretary of state, with secretary clinton or secretary napolitano are of major importance here, but i do know this, that after calling the attorney general of the united states six times before the congress, i think the public would have expected that we would have begun to talk about remedy by this time, and yet there has been no remedy to give the justice department the tools it needs to prosecute straw purchasers or gun trafficking. but here we go again for the sixth hearing. mr. attorney general, i want to commend you for the changes you have made, the multiple changes you have made while this matter was unfolding and the facts were coming forward recognizing full well that until you get the inspector general's report, particularly considering that this is the justice department to proceed without due process, would be fairly unseemly. you have to understand that when there's an issue like this and it was very important because of

ms. norton: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, i think in the next several days and weeks, you'll see people come forward to speak for the silent majority in this controversy about contraceptives, contraception and what kinds of institutions should and should not provide them. if ever there has been a silent majority, it is women of america, particularly women who may happen to work for catholic hospitals, for catholic university -- for a catholic university as i did for example, when as a protestant i worked as a professor at georgetown university here in washington. the catholic church has long accepted the laws against discrimination, except as to the church itself and the church's own activities. and so, you find that in the catholic hospital or catholic church, you must hire people regardless of their race or religion and the like. now the church seems to be seeking a different rule on how you accommodate for religion. we have accommodated for the catholic church when it comes to hiring their own employees. for examp

norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke. first, i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women. in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to disappear -- to be before our committee. she was summoned before the paddle -- before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy committee to deliver the testimony she was denied last week to stand firm and the cause of women's health, to a lot longer be held silent for its center is a bold and passionate l

norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke. first, i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women? in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to be before our committee. she was summoned before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy committee to deliver the testimony she was denied last week to stand firm and the cause of women's health, to a lot longer be held silent for its center is a bold and passionate leader for young women and all women a

norton. >> well, i'm certainly please today represent ms. fluke while she's in washington. >> as am i. [laughter] >> what year are you at georgetown? >> i'm a third year student, i'll be graduate anything may. >> i have some questions for you. the information that your testimony reveals today made your appearance at the hearing we were, we had last thursday even more important. because it was new information. i would wager that most americans when they think of contraceptives think about their own lives, and their own lives are not typical of the lives you have related, but do not have the kind of information that you brought forward this morning. i want to thank you very much for putting that information at least on our record and on the record of american families who i think needed to hear it. it's important to remember that we are accustomed to the fact that women live longer today. i wonder if we understand that that is a 20th century phenomenon. if you were to go into the graveyards of america, you would be quite amazed with the stones that speak of the lives of women who typical

norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke., i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women. in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to disappear -- to be before our committee. she was summoned before the paddle -- before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy committee to deliver the testimony she was denied last week to stand firm and the cause of women's health, to a lot longer be held silent for its center is a bold and passionate leader

norton. >> i am pleased to represent ms. fluke when she is in washington. are you at georgetown? >> i may third year student and i will graduate in may. >> you are about to graduate from law school. let me put a question to you. because i have some questions for you. the information that your testimony reveals today made your appearance at that hearing we had last thursday even more important. it was new information. i would wager that most americans, when they think of contraceptives, think about their own lives and how they are related. they do not have the kind of information you brought forward this morning. i want to thank you very much for putting that information at least on our record and a record of american families. i think we needed to hear it. it is important to remember that we are accustomed to the fact that women live longer today. i wonder if we understand that that is a 20th-century phenomenon. if you were to go into the graveyard of america, you would be quite amazed with the headstones that speak of the lives of women who typically died